Engine starting device.



P. M. LINCOLN.Y ENGINE STARTING DEVICE.

APPLICATION HED FEB. 3| ISIS'.

Patented Jan. 7. 1919.

.MIIIIINIIIUM UNITED .STATES IATENT OFFICE..

PAUL M. LINCOLN, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

ENGINE STARTING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jen. 7, 1919.

Aipplicatongled February 3, 1913. Serial No. 745,824.

trated one, embodiment of the invention in the accompanying drawing in which the tigure diagrammatieally represents, in vertical cross-section. a casing containing the engine shaft and the starting motor and appliances for olicrating it. f

Briefly, l provide means for` throwing a switch to start an electric motor and at the same time making a temporary engagement between the shaft of the motor and a gearing designed to turn overthe engine shaft, eombmed with devices for automatically disengaging the two elements after the engine starts. For example, in the drawing, supposing the shaft 3 to be the shaft off an explosive engine, it will be understood 'that giving it a few turns in the right direction causes an explosion vin the engine cylinder and the starting up of the engine. The shaft 3 carries a gear 4 which normally vis free of engagement, but is arranged in close proximity to a worm gear 5 splined upon the horizontal shaft 6 of an electric motor 7 attached to the casing 2. The worm 5 is normally held in the -position shown in full lines by means of retractile springs 8, but it may be moved toward theA left by manual operation as follows: f

On'its hub are mounted clutch fingers 9 which are attached to rods 10 extending into the supplemental casing 13 containing the electric starting device. i

The rods 10 may be attached to a head 12 which rigidly carries a. stiff spring 11 provided with a notch 14 engaging the head y 15 of a horizontally slidable rod 16. Normally, this rod 16 is held in position toward the right byretractile spring 30 and retained at a Xed position bythe fixed collar 17 thereon abutting a partition 13a of the casing. When it is desired to start the device, the rod 16 is drawn to the leftl in any convenient manner by the operator, a bellcrank lever 25, a rod 2G and a knob 27 being shown as constituting a suitable means for this purpose and the first action is to cause the collar 17 to engage the spring 18 mounted in and insulated from the casing 13 as shown. Deprcssing the spring 18 causes a contact between it and the conducting plate 19 while the upper end` of the spring 21 remains free. This closes the elec-v tric circuit from battery 23 through the leads shown and the. spring 18, resistance 20, contact 21, and leads 22 and 22a to the motor 7. i The resistance 20 is not essential but is here inserted because at this stage it is not necessary to have the -full power of the motor; just at the moment when the contact 18, 1).is made the worm Awheelf 5 will have vbeen brought into mechanical engagement with the gear .Je and as the motor shaft 6 bei gins to turn, the worm 5 instead of turning the wheel` 4 will simply push `itself along the shaft 6 until it abuts against the end of the casing 2 as shown in dotted lines.

turn the wheel 1 and shaft 3 of the engine; and at this time also the continued movement to the left of the shaftlG and collar 17 will bring the latter against the head 24 of the spring 18 making contact at 21 and thus cutting out the resistance 20 will throw the full current onto the motor 7.

The engagement between the worm 5 and the shaft 16 is preferably made so that the worm will be set free ,Le return to initial position as soon as possible and to this end I form an extension 28 on the spring 11 so as t0 abut against the spur 29 on the partition 13il and by depressing disengage the spring from the head 15 of the shaft 16. Of course, as soon as the engine starts, the worm 5, instead of continuing to drive the gear 4, will be itself driven back to the right and disengaged by the movement of gear 4 itself. The rod l16 will be returned to initial position by thespring 3() .'.s soon as released by the operator and this of course will stop the electric motor.

In order to insure the retardation of the spark, in starting the explosive engine, I may provide on the collar 17 and extending through a slot in the casing 18, a rodi31 At this point the worm will necessarily begin to which, by a link 32, may be connected to the y makes its whole travel each time it is operated, this arrangement will bring the spark lever to its retarded position no matter Where it may be when the travel of rod 16 begins.

It will be noted that by the above described device, the proper starting of the en- -f gine 1s not dependent upon any complicated mechanism or elaborate electric switches that can get out of order and all danger of failure to properly disengage the motor and the engine shaft is obviated. At any time the engine Shaft begins to move, the connection with the starting motor is eliminated by the engines own movement, nor will the accidental continuation of the operation of the motor have any effect.' The whole apparatus is. easily inclosed in dirt-proof casings and the electric switches are sure of operating and under direct control of the opera.- tor. Variousother advantages ofthe dcvice will occur to those familiar with the art.

The references in the claims to manual orr hand operation are intended to-be generic;

voluntary operation by the driver of the car,

whether by hand or foot power, being com-v mensurate with the scope of the invention. y Having thus described my invention and illustrated its use, what I claim is the following: i

l1. The combination of an engine and its shaft, an actuating electric motor to operate the engine, a switch in the motor circuit a slidable gear member on the motor shaft, re-

silient means serving to bias .said gear member toward its inactive position, a gear meinb'er on the engine shaft adapted to be engaged by the said slidable gear member when the latter is adjusted to operative position,

saidgear members being automatically disengaged when the engine shaft is driven by the engine, separable members serving to eEect initial engagement of the two said gear members and to actuate the motor-circuit switch to first close the circuit and then to reduce the resistance thereof, and means for separating said members upon comple#A tion of the gear-engaging and switch-actuating functions.

2. The combination with an electric niotor and a longitudinally movable gear memf signed my name in the presence of the two` subscribed Witnesses.

PAUL M. LTNCOLN. Witnesses: J o. BAILY BROWN,

y FREDK. STAUB. 

